BLEACHERS BREW EST. MAY 2006

Someone asked me how my blog and newspaper column came to be titled "Bleachers Brew". It's like this, it's an amalgam of sorts of two things: The bleachers area in the stadium/arena where I used to sit when I would watch baseball, football, and basketball games and Miles Davis' great jazz album Bitches Brew. That's how it got culled together. I originally planned on calling it "The View from the Big Chair" that is a nod to Tears For Fear's second album, Songs from the Big Chair. So there.

Saturday, October 8, 2016

That
was a massive win for the Meralco Bolts last night when they survived their
endgame miscues in the fourth period to defeat Barangay Ginebra in overtime,
114-109.

In
the past two conferences, many of the Bolts’ losses occurred in the last two
minutes or even the final play as they botched an offensive thrust or two,
missed a shot they should have made, or were unable to stop an opponent’s last
gasp attempt.

The
Bolts’ looked to be headed for another crushing loss after misses from the free
throw line by Allen Durham, poor shots by Chris Newsome and Cliff Hodge, and an
offensive foul by Reynel Hugnatan. I am not crazy about putting Anjo Caram on LA
Tenorio either and Ginebra’s point guard scored the equalizer that sent the
match into overtime. Maybe a taller guard, Baser Amer. If Jared Dillinger were
available, he length would have helped.

I
thought that Ginebra gave Meralco problems when they had Justin Brownlee moved
to the three-point line pulling out Durham from the lane. Without that rim
protector, Joe Devance and others quickly slid inside for a layup.

That
missed layup by Ginebra’s Justin Brownlee was huge but even bigger was that
follow up tip by Scottie Thompson that nearly dropped but rimmed out. That
could have changed the complexion of the game in the fourth period.

Ginebra
looked imperious in the first half as they their shots while the Bolts went
cold. Late in the game, they began to miss shots.

However,
you have to credit Meralco for hanging tough and not folding.

One
of the aspects that Meralco coach Norman Black had to work on is the players’ mentality
about winning games. They hadn’t won anything more so much games so they oft
tended to collapse.

They
nearly did but Durham took it strong in OT and scored seven straight points to
silence the crowd and seize the game for Meralco. Durham you can say really
rescued Meralco for this match as put up an impressive stat line of 46 points,
13 rebounds, and 7 assists! He also added two blocked shots and a steal and had
zero turnovers! Very impressive.

What
also worked for Meralco?

In
the second half of the match, the locals finally came through. Jimmy Alapag, Hodge,
and Hugnatan came up big in the clutch too.

Another
thing that was to the Bolts’ favor was their rebounding. They grabbed 18
offensive rebounds to the 12 of Ginebra and they parlayed that into 27 second
chance points (Ginebra only mustered seven). Ruling the boards also allowed the
Bolts to get out on the break where they owned a 14-6 advantage.

Speaking
of offensive rebounding, it was Chris Newsome’s offensive board that he dished
off to Jimmy Alapag for a triple that allowed Meralco to overhaul the late
deficit and take the lead. And how about Alapag who tied Allan Caidic for the
most triples in a career (1,242)? Incredibly, both players played for Norman
Black.

This
was a massive win for the Bolts as they are continuing to build their
confidence with every game. Hodge and Newsome struggled with their game. That
might raise some eyebrows for Newsome who finished with 17 points behind Durham’s
monster 46 points. But he didn’t drive hard to the basket and looked tentative
once more in the clutch. That’s finals nerves for both.

Alapag
and Hugnatan came through because of their experience. Likewise, it was the Gin
Kings’ vets (Tenorio, Devance, and Mark Caguioa who played well).

What
Ginebra might want to look into is using their height inside to attack Durham
and for their stringer guards to try and overpower the Bolts’ smaller
backcourt.

What
Meralco might want to do it have Hodge and Newsome go harder to the basket
because when they are tentative the offense bogs down and they take awful
shots.

Game
One was a thriller. If that sets the tone for the series, then we’re in for
some great basketball.